Some Fall Fun

Yesterday was the first day of Daylight Saving Time, AKA The Bain of Every Parent's Existence.

It starts getting dark so early here now, and will only be getting dark earlier for a while now.  Plus, it is getting to be cold outside in the afternoons. 

Sigh. Gone are the days of long, lingering afternoons and evenings outside, enjoying fresh air and sunshine - and here are the days of me coming up with a few indoor activities each week to keep my girls happy and prevent endless hours and hours of watching Disney Jr. and to keep them from driving me insane.

My girls LOVE playdough. 

I am a mean mom.  I HATE playdough.  It is messy and annoying.  The store bought stuff is especially gross and smelly.  My kids bug me almost every single day to play with some play dough - and like I said, I am mean - I make up some excuse as to why we cannot possibly do playdough today (or tomorrow or for the rest of their lives the week) and hope that they forget that they asked. 

Today I decided that I would just get over myself and let them have dough!  Homemade pumpkiny fally scented dough, no less.  (I got this idea HERE   and the recipe HERE.)
What did we do before Pinterest?!  It is such a never ending well of activities for everyone, especially kids! A mom's best friend!!!)

I ended up taking the idea from the link above and putting my own spin on it. 

I made a double batch of the dough, so that there would be a good sized ball for each girl.  This dough smells super good, too.  Like Pumpkin Pie.  It is even the color of Pumpkin Pie. And it is soft and stretchy and not at all crumbly or messy. Best dough ever. For reals.  :-)

Next I went out in the yard and gathered up a bunch of "fally" items from nature - sticks, leaves, pinecones, pine needles, little nut things - whatever I could find.

I laid all of these things out on cookie sheets and let the girls have at them.

It was love at first sight.  The smell of the dough and the items from nature were immediate hits. 

 

As I type, they have been playing with this project for MORE THAN TWO HOURS. With no fighting!  Anyone with a two and a three year old knows hat that NEVER happens! LOL! 

 

They have made cakes, cookies, a dragon, a turkey, a porcupine, and a million other amazing things!  My dad even dropped by (He brought us some awesome soup that he made and got me off the hook for making dinner! SCORE! Thanks, Dad! My hero!) and got in on the fun by helping make a sweet grasshopper.  Nothing like a pumpkin pie scented grasshopper made by your Papa to make a fun afternoon even better! :-)

 

The only downside of this project is going to be dealing with the fallout here in a little bit when I have them that it is time to clean up! LOL  I think I will give them just a few more minutes.....  I don't have the heart to break up the sister love and the Fall fun just yet. :-) Perhaps I should change my no playdough policy? 

Holy Terrible Twos, Batman!

I came in from working out this morning to this lovely surprise:

(Not pictured:  The couch and ottoman that are as coated in diaper rash cream as the kid that is pictured.)

 

 

When I asked her what she was doing with the diaper rash cream and why it was smeared on everything in the room, she had a fair answer: "Pretending it was yipstick.  And lotion. And paint. And shampoo."

 

I stood there - mostly trying not to laugh out loud.

 

She thought I was going to get mad, so she started to cry.

 

Poor Bug. 

 

Her Terrible Twos were showing.

 

Again.

 

You see, this isn't an uncommon occurrence for my little Bugster. 

 

For every bit of ornery trouble that Hoot gave me when we were in the throws of the dreaded Terrible Twos, her sister multiplies it by ten fold.  This kid is the ultimate benchmark for the Terrible Twos.

 

She gets into EVERYTHING.  She makes EPIC messes.  She wants to do everything "ALL BY MYSELF!" in her own way and her own time.  She picks her own clothes, her own lunch, her own toys, her own everything - and any one else's help or opinion is met with EXTREME opposition.

 

And, HOLY COW - can this child ever throw a temper tantrum.  Loud. Long. Dramatic.  Unlike anything you have ever seen.  She has an IRON WILL.

 

Having patience with her is my biggest struggle most days.

 

But on the other hand, look at that face. 

 

She may be the strongest willed human being alive, and she may have a shriek that could shatter glass (and eardrums) and she may have an uncanny knack for getting into trouble - but she is also adorable.  And snuggly.  And SO funny - my little comedian. 

 

And it's a dang good thing - because her Terrible Twos are shaping up to be LEDENDARY.